Printed circuit boards may have optical fibres extending therefrom. When such printed circuit boards are vertically mounted in shelves, each printed circuit board typically has a faceplate. The faceplate accommodates a universal adapter. A rear opening of the adapter is formed to receive a connector attached to the fibre from the printed circuit board. A portion of a forward end of the universal adapter typically extends through an opening in the faceplate. Another optical fibre is connected to the forward end of the universal adapter through another connector.
In the prior art, it is typically necessary to remove the universal adapter when a different type of connector is to be used (different types of connectors include bayonet, thread and push-in connectors) or when it is necessary to clean the adapter and/or connectors.
The universal adapter is typically held in place in the faceplate by a screw or by a mounting unit held in place by one or more screws. Accordingly, with the prior art, in order to remove the adapter, it is usually necessary to unscrew the retaining device using a screw driver or other tool. Further, since the screws face rearward on the rear surface of the faceplate, it is also typically necessary to remove the faceplate from the circuit pack (or from the unit containing the circuit pack), in order to remove the adapter. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a modified faceplate which need not be removed from the circuit pack in order to remove the adapter. Similarly, it would be desirable to be able to easily remove the adapter without the need for tools.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/666,702 (inventor: Beun), which was filed on Jun.18, 1996 and assigned to the assignee of the present application (U.S. Pat.5,708,742), overcomes some of the above-noted drawbacks. The Beun application describes a faceplate in which the adapter is held in place within a removable carrier. The faceplate has a hinged portion on the front surface of the faceplate, which, when in the open position, allows access to the carrier and the adapter. To remove or replace the adapter, the hinged portion is rotated to the open position, thereby exposing the adapter and adapter carrier. To remove the carrier, first two relatively small pins on the carrier are squeezed together, which releases the pins from corresponding guide channels in the faceplate. The carrier can then be moved upwards and removed from the faceplate. The adapter within the carrier may then be removed from the faceplate for cleaning.
Removal of the carrier from the Beun device requires that the relatively small pins of the carrier be squeezed, which may be difficult or awkward, especially where to user has large fingers or where the lighting is poor. The Beun device also requires a removable carrier. If there were no removable carrier, there would be one less part to be manufactured, thereby possibly reducing costs. The lack of a removable carrier would also eliminate the likelihood of that part breaking, being lost or not working.
Another disadvantage of the Beun device is that there must be a certain amount of slack in the fibre from the printed circuit board to allow the fibre connector to be connected to and disconnected from the adapter. The more slack there is, the greater the risk that the fibre will bend to create a radius within the fibre that is less than optimal. Accordingly, it would be desirable if less slack was necessary.